Many ways to win Steph Ango Steph Ango / Writing About Now
Many ways to win
November 18, 2023 · 6 minute read
Why do people flock to something? What creates an edge, an advantage, a moat? How do things win, or at least survive, in a highly competitive landscape?
Organisms, people, products, organizations, networks. All are able to overcome competitors and accumulate energy by developing strengths along certain vectors.
Successful things tend to optimize competency on a narrow set of strategies, often a unique and unusual combination of strategies. Here are eighty such strategies, grouped in broad categories, with examples from biology and business.
Accumulation
Strategy Description Examples Usership A critical mass of users, network effect Phone system, the internet, scaled social networks Completeness All-in-one tool, one-stop shop Swiss army knife, Walmart Aggregation An environment or marketplace designed for broad participation Cities, malls, Amazon, Craigslist Diversification Low-dependency on any one stream of resources Conglomerates, omnivores Omnipresence Available everywhere it might be needed, accepted by default Visa, Coca-Cola, dandelions Cloning Expands by replicating identical copies of itself Aspen groves, franchises, sourdough starters
Price
Strategy Description Examples Affordability Comparatively low-cost Mass production, fast food, fast fashion Luxury Intentionally high-cost, often labor-intensive, or status symbol Veblen goods, supercars, luxury watches Skimming Ingests a large volume of very small transactions or resources Credit cards, baleen whales, planktivores Bundling Packaged freely with something desirable Microsoft Office, cable channels, seeds in a fruit
Time
Strategy Description Examples Heritage Multi-generational legacy Religions, old companies Craftsmanship Uses more time, precision, and attention to detail than competitors Handmade watches, bespoke tailoring, Leica Organic Natural growth process that cannot be accelerated Trees, ecosystems, aged cheeses Endurance Ability to operate continuously over a long period of time Marathon runners, nuclear submarines
Uniqueness
Strategy Description Examples Specialization Strong competence in a narrow niche Trade schools, pandas Versatility General competence adapted to many tasks CPUs, opposable thumbs Hybrid Competence in two distinct areas, or blending of two strengths not usually found together Frogs, cronuts, amphibious vehicles, hybrid cars Divergence Creativity, unusualness, differentiation from the norm Van Gogh, Picasso, Frank Gehry Authenticity Traceable to its source, especially where counterfeiting is prevalent Money, olive oil, art Rarity Naturally limited in quantity, at the edge of the distribution curve Beachfront property, Victor Wembanyama Scarcity Artificially limited in quantity Collectibles, NFTs Secrecy Made difficult to copy by protecting private knowledge, or combining components in a way that cannot be disentangled Magicians, Coca-Cola, trade secrets Irreverence Contrarian, counter-cultural, disregard for tradition Richard Branson, South Park
Offense
Strategy Description Examples Violence Destroys or consumes the opponent through physical force Military attacks, predators Litigation Weakens opponents through legal burden Patent trolls, lawsuits, Mickey Mouse Nettlesomeness Causes the opponent to make mistakes Magnus Carlsen, terrorism Sabotage Creates weaknesses in the opponent’s structure or defenses Stuxnet, cutting undersea cables Parasitism Extracts or hijacks resources from a host Mosquitos, tapeworm Scavenging Opportunistically ingests dying or weakened prey Private equity, vultures Espionage Acquires enemy secrets Spies Swarming Concentrated attack from a mass of individually weak agents Bees, DDOS attacks, Zerg rush Highest bidder Overpays or outbids competitors to secure exclusivity Real Madrid, Softbank, art collectors Chokepoint Controls a passage that competitors or prey must pass through Suez Canal, grizzlies at a waterfall Puppeteering Takes over a host’s behavior and directs it to serve you Cordyceps, toxoplasma
Defense
Strategy Description Examples Deterrence Mutually assured destruction, projecting fear of violence or litigation Nuclear weapons, trademarks, patents Reliability Reduces maintenance costs, minimizes downtime Zippo lighters, Toyota cars Predictability Repeatable process with little deviation to create a consistent product or experience Disneyland, Starbucks Unpredictability Creating an element of surprise, confusion, or variability Squid ink, smoke screen, Banksy, Lady Gaga Decentralization Redundancy and distributed competency to reduce single points of failure Solar power, grassroots movements Security Resistance to theft, confiscation, unwanted access Banks, vaults, locks Privacy Protection against unwanted information disclosure Encrypted messaging apps, VPNs Durability Physical robustness, resistance to damage, or injury LeBron James, cast iron skillets Neutrality Displays long-term non-belligerence, a safe haven Switzerland, Red Cross Obscurity Survival by remaining unknown or undetected Deep-sea creatures, closed-source software Antifragility Becomes stronger when exposed to stress or usage BitTorrent, muscles
Deception
Strategy Description Examples Camouflage Ability to blend into the surrounding environment Chameleons, stealth aircraft Mimicry Superficially adopts characteristics of another species to trick opponents Harmless snakes mimicking venomous ones Decoy Distracts or misleads adversaries Chaff, fake security cameras Lure Preys on other organisms by setting attractive traps Anglerfish, honeypot Infiltration Gets past defenses without notice Trojan horse, malware, smuggling
Timing
Strategy Description Examples First-mover Acts first to gain an advantage Netflix, Tesla Second-mover Fast-follower, moves quickly to copy the first-mover Facebook-Snapchat Last-mover Waits until all opponents have expended energy on failed approaches Apple
Accreditation
Strategy Description Examples Monopoly Artificial control of a resource or market approved by the governing body Patents, regulatory capture Prestige Endorsed by authoritative sources via awards, degrees, or other recognition Michelin-starred restaurants, Ivy League graduates Curation Selectiveness, particular ability in choosing and grouping Art galleries, HBO, venture capital
Collaboration
Strategy Description Examples Union Reduce friction between potential competitors by adopting a common set of rules Mergers and acquisitions, United States, European Union Alliance Partnership that enables some benefits of a union while maintaining independence Partnerships Emergence Hive mind, wisdom of the crowd Ant colonies, beehives, democracy Centralization Single decision-making entity Dictatorships Standardization Emergent alignment that reduces friction Language, railway gauge, metric system Symbiosis Mutually beneficial dependency between two organisms Two-party political system, fig wasp Herding Grouping of many individuals to protect against larger or dangerous competitors Trade associations, school of fish Distributed ownership Owned by the community REI Co-op, Green Bay Packers Transparency Open and visible process or inner workings that encourages trust Open-source software
Speed and scale
Strategy Description Examples Iteration Ability to iterate and change quickly, shortening the cycle time between improvements SpaceX Efficiency Uses a low amount of energy or resources to perform similar capabilities to competitors LED bulbs Agility Nimbleness, easily adapts to a changing environment Gymnasts, squirrels, go-karts Precision High level of accuracy and exactness in performance or output Swiss watches, CNC machining Blitzing Sudden attack, expending intense resources in a concentrated manner Hostile takeovers, blitz marketing campaigns Composability Ability to assemble components and systems in different configurations APIs, Stripe Modularity Composed of independent units that can be used in different combinations LEGO, prefab buildings
Ease
Strategy Description Examples Intuitiveness Ease of use and understanding, without explicit instruction Dieter Rams designs Fun Provides enjoyment and amusement Video games, amusement parks, Duolingo Simplicity Limited points of failure, minimalistic design Hammer, MUJI Low-friction Minimal resistance or hassle in use or interaction One-click ordering Charm Charisma, ability to create loyalty and warmth through delightful personality or aesthetics Oprah Winfrey, Paris